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(No Model.)

H. D. HARD.Y FOLDING 00T.

110.321.211. Patented June 30,1885.

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Nrrnn raras HENRY D. HARD, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK.

FOLDING COT.

SPECIFICATION forming part or' Letters Patent No. 321,211, dated June 30, 1885.-

Appiicanon ined octoter 16, i884. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY D. HARD, of Oneida, in the county of Madison and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Cots; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form part of this specification.

This invention has for its objects to provide a light, strong, and durable folding cot which may be cheaply constructed, and which, when folded,will be so compact as to occupy the least possible space, and when unfolded and set up for use will have the parts so located and arranged as to give mutual support and strength to each other, as more fully hereinafter specified. These objects I attain by the. means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents alongitudinal sectional view of my improved cot, showing the parts of the same as folded; and Fig. 2 a similar view showing the parts unfolded and the cot set up ready for use. Fig. 3 is a plan view, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail.

The letter vA indicates the frame of the cot, which is rectangular in shape, and is composed of the two side bars, connected at the ends by means of the cross-bars B,which may be secured by mortises and tenons, or in any other suitable manner. The upper surfaces of the end bars, B, are provided with the longitudinal rounded heads b.

The'letter C indicates the legs, which act as levers, and which are pivoted'to the inner.

sides of the said bars A, near each end, as indicated by the letter c in the drawings. The said leg-levers are connected and braced near their lower ends by means of the transverse rungs D, and about midway between the said rungs and their pivotal points are connected by suitable rungs, E. To these rungs arepivoted the lower ends of the levers F, which, at their upper ends, are connected by the head and foot boards, the said head and foot boards serving to brace the levers F at their said upper ends. The levers are also connected by the rungs Gr, which form intermediate braces, and also serve as supports for the slats of the cot, near each end, when the cot is setup, as

will more fully hereinafter appear. The levers F are curved, as shown, so as to throw the head and foot boards in convenient positions when the cot is set up, and they are provided with semi-cylindrical notches or recesses G', which engage the rounded portion of the connecting cross-bars, so as to securely hold the parts of the cot when set up., as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. y The cross-bars B are mortised at suitable intervals, as indicated by the letter H, to receive the ends of the slats I. These slats are constructed of light elastic wood or spring metal, and are bowed upward, as shown, their ends being sprung into the mortises and held in place Ynaturally by the longitudinal extension due to their elasticity or longitudinal spring. When the cot is folded, it will be seen thatboth the leg-levers and the head and foot board levers set in a line nearly parallel with the side bars of the frame, and the head and foot boards set in close proximity with the connecting crossbars at the ends of the frame, giving the cot the utmost compactness when folded. When unfolded and set up,theleglevers will assume the position shown in Fig. 2, while the head and foot board levers will be projected upward and beyond the ends of the cot, the rungs E falling under the slats, near each end, so as to afford intermediate supports between their connecting ends at the two cross-bars, so as to bow the slats up toward the center of the cot, where the strain is the greatest, and thus support the incumbent comfortably, and cause the weight of the samek to rmly lock the parts together.

I am aware that cots constructed with rectangular frames, pivoted legs, and longitudinal slots have been made and are in use, and such I do not claim, broadly; but it is evident from the description given of my peculiar mode of locking or securing the cot in a posi- IOO and the rung connecting the head and foot board levers, the said rung being adapted to support the slats when the cot is set up, subr 5 stantially as speoied.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aiiix niy signature in presence of two witnesses.

, HENRY D. HARD.

Witnesses:

CARL O. HASSELBARTH,

FRANK D. COLVIN. 

